His Little Queen
by Heidi Erickson
Summary: He planned to have a professional relationship with Regina. Cold, detached, and strictly for educational means in the field of magic. She was merely his pawn in his much bigger plan. He just didn't realize having her under his wing would be nearly just like having his Bae under his. He didn't realize it yet, but she was slowly becoming his little queen.


_**His Little Queen**_

**Author's Note:** I love Rumple and Regina's relationship. So. Much. So, here, read this. It's basically my feels and tears written in words. *Weeps.*

Side note: In this "AU", Neal lives. Just to avoid any confusion when he's mentioned at the end. And if you're a Cora stan, you won't want to read this. She's basically labeled as "Worst Mother of the Year" in here. Just letting you know. Sorry!

Enjoy! :-)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Once Upon a Time_. All rights belong to Adam Horowitz, Eddy Kitsis, and ABC Channel.

* * *

><p><em>He never meant for it all to happen. He never wanted all of this.<em>

_But as fate might have it, it did._

Swift as a fox and silent as a mouse, he swooped like a hawk into the room, cleverly hidden from the bright moon.

His feet, so careful not to make a single sound, tip-toed across the smooth marble floor.

His hands, glittery gold and slender, reached for the cradle with ivory silk sheets and lacy ends.

And within seconds, a tiny girl with dark hair, rosy cheeks, and pudgy fingers was swept into his arms, and they disappeared into the night.

_He thought it was a good plan. He thought taking her in as his own early on would make everything easier for him._

_He needed her._

In the morning, he awoke to sounds of _thud_ and _clatter _in the kitchen. And the lively giggles of a very entertained toddler.

Bae was just like that.

He _whooshed_ himself into the kitchen to find the little girl dragging his pots and pans into a circle around her, and then she started banging away with a wooden spoon.

He stalked up to her, raising a threatening finger, ready to scream at her to disturbing his slumber and snooping around in the Dark Castle without his permission.

But then one look in her luminous brown eyes reminded him of how to be a father.

She wasn't his. But she wasn't an adult capable of taking care of herself, either.

He just glared at her and left the room, but not without leaving a bowl of warm porridge with sweet apple slices for her breakfast.

_The first lesson was a challenge. For him._

_For her? It was like entertainment. _More_ entertainment. All the little girl wanted to do was have fun. Like any other child._

_Cora was right. Taking her away this early wouldn't do them both any good._

"_No, no, no!_ Stay away from there!" He shrieked, rushing to pull her away from the fireplace. She just giggled as he yanked her up high and twirled her around, forcing her to walk in the opposite direction.

"I said, _follow the flying apple_, Regina," Rumplestiltskin tried again, this time more sternly.

_Cora had warned him that he had to be stern. No coddling the child, or she'd just ignore him. Severe words and a wooden paddle always helped, but Rumplestiltskin vehemently disagreed._

_No parent should ever raise their child like that._

"_Found it!_" A shriek of glee filled Rumplestiltskin's relieved ears as he sat in front of his spinning wheel, nursing a headache after a long day of following a very distracted child.

The hysterically giggling girl ran at wobbly toddler speed, heading for Rumplestiltskin with a ball of spun gold in her hands.

"Can eat apple—now?" The girl questioned, her eyebrows rising hopefully.

Rumplestiltskin sighed wearily, nodding his consent.

_He thought his parenting skills would be still intact, but after more than a hundred years, it seemed to him that he had gotten rusty._

_And the child was nothing like Cora, as he'd originally expected._

Nighttime came, but the child wouldn't sleep.

"_I want Daddy!_" She wailed, cowering in the corner of her bedroom. Cora clearly hadn't explained to her that she was going to stay with Rumplestiltskin for a while, or the child just did not understand.

"Your daddy's not here, dearie," Rumplestiltskin knelt in front of her, chiding her with a coolly paternal gaze.

"Then I want Mommy," Regina jutted out her bottom lip, pouting. In that second, she looked just like Cora.

But she still wasn't nothing like Cora.

"Your mommy's not here," Rumplestiltskin replied tersely, his gut pinching with guilt at how he was treating her. She was so young, so innocent. So _untainted_.

His plans for her were going to destroy all of that.

"You need your sleep, child. You won't be with me forever, I promise."

_A lie. But you're definitely mine…until I'm done with you._

Tears welled up in Regina's chocolate eyes, but to Rumplestiltskin's surprise, she raised her shoulders bravely. In trembling voice, she asked, "Then can have 'icorn?"

"'Icorn?" Rumplestiltskin furrowed his brow in confused.

Regina nodded insistently, eyes wide. "'Icorn. Horsie with pwetty 'pindle on head."

"…Oh." Rumplestiltskin understood. "Yes, yes, of course. I'll get your stuffed unicorn…if you get in bed right this instant."

He made deals with people better than he parented, it seemed.

No sooner than a minute or two, Regina was settled in her lush bed with creamy flannel covers. Cora had requested that he give Regina the best bedroom in the Dark Castle if she was going to live under his tutelage.

"Here's your unicorn, little dearie," Rumplestiltskin trilled at her, tossing her the huge but lightweight toy.

"'_Icorn!_" Regina grabbed her unicorn and squeezed it close to her body, and then yawned, suddenly very, very tired after a long day of hide-and-seek with a ball of spun gold.

"Hmmph," Rumplestiltskin sniffed in disgust, turning on his heel to leave the room.

"Good 'ight, Bumple," Regina called before yawning again and subsequently slipping into a deep sleep, flopping back into the pillows, her peanut-sized body disappearing beneath the covers.

_Bumple?_

Other request of Cora's—to work on Regina's phonetics.

_He planned to have a professional relationship with Regina. Cold, detached, and strictly for educational means in the field of magic._

_She was merely his pawn in his much bigger plan._

_He just didn't realize having her under his wing would be nearly just like having his Bae under his._

When Regina was taking her afternoon nap, Rumplestiltskin whisked away into Baelfire's bedroom to check on things and run through his clothes and desperately hold on to the tiny shred of hope he had for finding his lost son.

_I'm so sorry, Bae._ He pleaded silently. _I'm so sorry. I'll find you, I promise. I promise…_

"Bumple sad?" A quavering voice startled Rumplestiltskin out of his deep thoughts. He gasped softly; suddenly self-conscious of the wetness of his face and aware of the deathlike grip he had on Bae's favorite cloak.

"Don't cry, Bumple," tiny Regina waddled up to him, her long nightgown trailing slightly across the stone floor.

"Why sad?" The little girl, so innocent, reached out to touch the imp's face.

She was so unafraid of him. Unlike all other children.

Bae was the only one who was not scared of him…until Regina.

And beyond his own comprehending, Rumplestiltskin found his words spilling out of him before he could stop himself.

"It's my Bae…I…I miss him." He whispered, his voice cracking from all the tears still held at bay.

And Regina's face, so soft, so gentle, lit up in childlike understanding. "That's okay. I find Bae. I find Bae for Bumple."

_Yes, you will. One day. One day when the darkness that is yet to taste you has entered you._

Shaking off the guilt and the regret he had for his plans, he managed a feeble smile at the little girl and, against his better reasoning, scooped her up in his arms.

And to his surprise, Regina wrapped her chubby arms around his neck in a hug. Her baby-soft hair brushed against his cheek, and for a moment, Rumplestiltskin felt like he was holding his son as a small child once again.

_They say that an embrace is all it takes to form an attachment between two souls._

_An attachment that was dangerous for Rumplestiltskin, especially when he knew he couldn't let his innate, long-forsaken sense of compassion get in the way of his plans._

_Young Regina was too much like young Baelfire._

_Had she been like Cora, Rumplestiltskin would have found it easy to corrupt her._

_But it wasn't._

Before anything could even begin, it all ended on one rainy day.

Rumplestiltskin brought his little pupil into his stables. Regina was very excited to see the horses—horses were clearly her favorite animal—and she darted from stall to stall, babbling animatedly about the beauty of them all.

Rumplestiltskin only smiled tightly at her, preparing himself for what was going to happen next. He reached into one of the stalls, pulled out a gentle, old mare, and did what he knew he was best at doing.

He ripped the horse's heart out.

And Regina's reaction was exactly what he expected. But then not as much.

Regina heard the squish of the horse's heart being yanked out of its chest and turned around to glance up at Rumplestiltskin in question.

Her face turned instantly pale in horror, and a shriek escaped her throat.

Rumplestiltskin smashed the heart in his fist, instantly killing the mare. The elderly beast gave out a bellow of pain, and collapsed on the ground.

He stared at Regina in anticipation, in challenge.

But the look in her face stabbed him in his own beating heart.

It was the same look Baelfire gave him the morning he became the Dark One and killed all the soldiers in his village.

"_Papa? I'm scared."_ His son's voice rose with a quaver in his head.

His little queen stood very still, her mouth agape, her eyes filled with terror.

And then she whirled around and ran out of the stables, screaming.

No longer was she that boldly brave princess who called his golden skin sparkly and pretty and liked to sit on his foot and make him walk around with her wrapped around his leg.

_He regretted it for a long time, but then eventually came to be thankful for what happened. Because then the darkness that tasted her put more fault on Cora than on himself. At least that's what he convinced himself of._

"_You can have her back, dearie," Rumplestiltskin sneered at the queen, holding back the desire to spit in her porcelain face and rip her head off by just yanking at the ridiculous red curls she wore atop her temple. "She's of no use to me anymore. Too noisy and whiny."_

_Cora only smiled icily at him. "Then see to it that you never come back for her."_

_Rumplestiltskin only giggled, a dark chuckle escaping his throat, before he disappeared in purple smoke. He would come back for her…once Cora had broken her._

_And that time, it wouldn't be his doing. _

_He would be only there to pick up the pieces of Regina and remodel them into a monster._

The anxious Dark One finally found his little queen hiding in her room, under her bed, clutching her unicorn.

The girl looked up, her face stained with tears. She whined fearfully and rolled over, her back facing him.

"Little dearie," Rumplestiltskin called out as gently as possible. "Come out, please. I won't hurt you."

"_No!_ You killed horsie!" Regina's voice, thick with sobs, yelled back at him, the words hitting him in the face.

_She thinks I'm a monster. Which is exactly what I am._

"You're mean. Just like Mommy."

Rumplestiltskin's ears caught hold of her whispered words.

"Mommy takes hearts and kills them, too."

_ I taught her that._ Rumplestiltskin remembered, regret clenching his gut.

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin replied almost apologetically, nodding. "Your mommy is mean. And I'm mean, too. But I won't hurt you, little dearie. Not like your mommy."

A sniffle. And then a quiet scoot across the dusty floor under the bed. Regina sat up on her knees, shoulders crouched, and stared up at Rumplestiltskin.

"_Pwomise?_" She demanded through glassy eyes and a wobbly lip.

"I promise." The imp extended his hand to her.

_For now._

Hesitantly, but willingly, his little queen crawled into his cross-legged legs and let him cradle her, just like her daddy did with her on nights when she was upset after her mommy scared or hurt her again.

"I wanna go home, Bumple," Regina gazed up at him pleadingly. "_Pwease._"

And he said yes, for how could he say no, after he's already hurt her, too soon, too early?

It was for the best.

_Years later, Rumplestiltskin happened to be hopping past a couple of kingdoms to make a deal with a faraway desperate soul, when he came across a parade, honoring King Henry and Queen Cora's fifteenth anniversary._

_Curious, he made sure his hood was hiding his face as he sought the line of royals, his eyes navigating for the one person he had chosen to be his Curse-Caster._

_And there she was. A vision in sky blue, her posture regal, her glossy hair piled up in an elegant bun. No more than fifteen, she was already a vision to behold._

_Stunning in every way._

_She rode atop a graceful steed, and next to her was a stable boy guiding the glorious beast._

_The princess looked down at the stable boy, and for only a brief, yet lingering moment, the young boy glanced back at the girl and smiled._

_Regina blushed and looked away, pretending to deny his existence, but the subtle smile on her lips gave it all away._

_And with a darkly glee smirk, Rumplestiltskin knew exactly how Cora was going to break her._

It was late when Rumplestiltskin arrived at Regina's home. He transported them directly into Regina's bedroom.

The sleepy girl tumbled out of Rumplestiltskin's arms, the sight of her own room effectively rendering her awake, at least temporarily. She squeals, but shushes when Rumplestiltskin sends her a warning look. He wanted to drop her off in the middle of the night, not wanting to face Cora.

He turned to leave, but Regina grabbed the tail of his leather waistcoat. "Bumple, play with me!" She demanded, beaming brightly up at him. She shoved a stuffed rabbit in his hands. "Chase my horsie!" She requested, giggling at Rumplestiltskin's bewildered expression.

For a just a few minutes, Rumple acquiesced, for once forgetting the troubles and burdens of his world, for once focusing on the affection this child had for him—and his affection for her.

When Regina seemed to be settling own again and ready to go back to sleep, Rumplestiltskin picked her up, bounced her up and down in the air, making her cry out in delight, and he reveled at the sight of her joyful, carefree expression, knowing he would never see her like this again.

He carried his little queen to her bed and started tucking her in, when she wriggled away and patted on the mattress. "Bumple sleep, too," she insisted, recognizing the tired look in his eyes and she stares at him knowingly.

His mouth tight in a grim line, the Dark One shook his head. "Good night, dearie," he gently tapped her nose, not having the heart to tell her that she would never see him…for at least fifteen years.

Regina's innocent face twisted in worry and fear as she saw her beloved imp stride away from her. She pushed off her covers and jumped off the bed. "Bumple, _stay_!" She fiercely ordered, yanking at his coattails again.

Anguished, Rumplestiltskin spun around and bent over to face her eye-to-eye. "I _can't_, dearie! You _stay here_, Rumple Bumple _goes_. Understand?!"

The girl's eyes widened in hurt, and her jaw began to shake, more tears about to spill over. "_No,_" she whispered, and then leaned on Rumplestiltskin's leg, clutching it for dear life.

"Bumple, _no_. I _love_ Bumple." She cried, meaning every single word uttered.

If he didn't leave any sooner, future be cursed, Rumplestiltskin would've stayed. For her, his little queen.

But the prophecy had to come true, to follow as fate had prescribed. If Rumplestiltskin should choose someone else to cast the Dark Curse, it might not work out in the way he had foreseen.

_Regina_ was the chosen one.

"You won't love me any longer after this," Rumplestiltskin retorted shortly, picking something out of his pocket and blowing it at Regina's upturned face.

She blinked, and her eyes went blank. She started to sway back, but Rumplestiltskin caught her and quickly returned her to her bed. Then he disappeared from the palace, knowing if he stayed one more second to look at his little queen once more, he would break for sure.

He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a dark liquid.

And after a gulp of the potion, all went blank.

Memories of playing hide-and-seek with magical apples and hidden balls of spun gold—

_Gone._

Memories of playing horseback, the little princess bucking up and down on his shoulders, screaming happily, "_Higher, horsie! Higher!_"—

_Gone._

Memories of singing made-up lively lullabies to her to lull her to sleep—

_Gone._

Memories of teaching her how to spin straw into gold—that is, _trying_ to teach her while she was more interested in reading picture books fro, Bae's room—

_Gone._

Only one last fragment remained.

_The day Queen Cora announced the birth and the naming of her daughter Regina, Rumplestiltskin had been there, watching in secret, still burning with anger at her rejection and the breaking of their deal._

_That night, while Cora and Henry slept, Rumplestiltskin snuck into Regina's bedchambers to find her crying. And Cora was either deaf, or ignoring her daughter purposefully._

_And all Rumplestiltskin could think of to calm her down was to sing this little ditty as he held her, cocooned in a fuzzy blanket, in his arms._

"You shall see, you will come to me, there is more you need—_oh_!_" He trills, bouncing her slightly, just like he did with Bae when he was just a babe and needed to be held and calmed down._

_And Regina, the wee, innocent babe she was, calmed right down and slept snugly in the imp's arms._

Portable,_ Rumple thought to himself. _And not ready. But she will be.

_Just a little less than two decades to go, and then he would have made his monster._

_And then his plan would be finally in full motion, and sooner or later, he would be reunited with his son, at long last._

It was years and years later, after the Curse was broken, after Peter Pan, and only right after Zelena, when Regina burst into Rumplestiltskin's shop to see how he was doing.

"Rumple?" She called out cautiously. The last time she barged in here was to knock some books off the shelves, which displeased Belle very much, and Regina wanted to be on everyone's good graces for as long as possible, seeing that it really did benefit her very much.

Rumple emerged out of the back room, his limp still long gone, seemingly put behind him as his past was. His son was back, alive and well, and Belle had just accepted his hand in marriage, and life in Storybrooke seemed finally peaceful—at the moment.

"What is it, Regina? I'm actually quite busy—Belle and I are just about to prepare for our private wedding, and you better not ask me where it is, because it's none of—" the cranky pawnbroker gripes slightly as he sets a large suitcase on his counter.

The former mayor took a deep breath, trepidation trickling through her.

But she had to know.

"Rumple, did you write a letter to my mother, speaking of me…or of Zelena?" She asked, carefully planning out her words. She didn't want Rumple making any sneaky comments to back out of this conversation.

"What letter?" Rumple furrowed his brow in puzzlement.

"…This one." Regina fished her letter out of her pocket and eagerly handed it to Rumple. She watched his face intently, waiting to see his reaction as he read the letter.

Rumple handed the letter back to Regina, his expression unreadable.

"Well?" Regina prompted. Her impatience gave away to irritation, fueled by her insecurity and need to know.

He smiled at her. And not just any smile—a _real_ smile. Very small, very subtle, but still a smile.

"I remember this letter. I wrote it when I saw you riding your horse on the day of your parents' fifteenth anniversary. But I did not give it to her until I had you banish her to Wonderland. I didn't want her knowing I'd found you, because then she'd hide you away from me again."

Honestly, Regina didn't care about when, how, why, or where. For once, she only wanted to know if she had Rumple's approval.

"You don't need my approval."

Regina's eyes darted back at Rumple. Did he just read her mind?

Rumple motioned at her, a thoughtful look in his dark eyes. "Everything I said in that letter—is true, and I meant every word of it. Still do. But remember, you make your own choices, and that really leaves you as the only person who should have the right to validate yourself based on who you are."

A smile bloomed across Regina's face, and she gazed at Rumple tenderly. Yes, she and the imp had been through so much—he'd hurt her many times, but she'd hurt him many times, too, especially with Belle. They were even, and through that, they were able to forgive each other.

Despite their past, their bond still was unbroken.

She only wondered how that was so.

Rumple's smile faded into something akin to mild annoyance. "Now, what, dearie? I have things to do, a wedding to attend to. Don't you have a date with that thief I keep seeing you with? He seems to have taken quite a fancy to you."

Regina blushed, looking down at her toes. "Yes, I do," she admitted. "And I won't keep you. I'm just on my way to meet him…uh, congratulations, Rumple. On your wedding. I'm sure you and Belle will be…um, very happy together." She started babbling, whacking herself internally at how silly she sounded right now.

"I must say, I find myself quite proud of my little queen."

The remark stopped her short, and she turned around to ask him to repeat himself. But the pawnbroker was already retreating into the back room, and Regina felt that he'd probably take back his comment if she followed after him.

Instead, she just smiled to herself and exited the shop, anticipating for her "meeting" with Robin in her office.

For the first time in a long, long time, her life was finally right.

And though her malevolent imp was responsible for a lot of her misery, she had to feel a little grateful.

Because if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be here today.

And she loved him for that.

_He was so very proud of her, he was._

_He loved his little queen very much, and even he thought that would be impossible._

_And especially impossible that she would love him back._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> What did you think? I hope you liked it! :-) Happy almost-New Year!


End file.
